Ultimate Fighting Championship is exploring the possibility of bringing a UFC mixed martial arts show to the new 8,000-seat Cross Insurance Center in Bangor its president said Thursday morning.

“We’re actually working on it,” Dana White said in a telephone interview.

“A couple years ago it was a desire when there were plans to build a new arena. Now, the arena is built. It’s more than a desire. We’re in talks,” White said.

White is currently vacationing at his home in Levant. He is a graduate of Hermon High School.

White said the discussions are still in an early stage, adding he has yet to determine if a UFC show would work financially.

“It would have to be a televised fight, which would be good for Bangor,” White said. “It would be telecast not just here (in the United States) but all over the world.”

UFC is the premier mixed martial arts organization, producing more than 30 live events each year. Its multiple programming platforms, which include The Ultimate Fighter show, are broadcast in more than 145 countries in 28 languages.

White said gaining additional sponsors for the event would be a key component.

“They have gaming now up here. We’re working on the casino as a sponsor,” White said.

Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway is a 148-room hotel with gaming tables and slots in Bangor.

White was conducting a series of telephone interviews designed to promote the UFC’s Aug. 17 show at TD Garden in Boston. It is scheduled to be the first live event on FOX SPORTS 1, a new 24-hour, all-sports channel scheduled to begin broadcasting that day.

Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or at: scraig@mainetoday.com

Twitter: SteveCCraig

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